Gulhane Park (Turkish name: Gulhane Parkı) is a public park in Istanbul, which is the oldest and most famous park in the city, as well as the largest park in the historical center of Istanbul.
Gulhane Park is located next to the walls of the main residence of the sultans of the Ottoman Empire - Topkapi Palace (Topkapı Sarayı).
The name Gulhane ("Gülhane") translates as "Rose Palace".
Initially, the park was the outer gardens of the Sultan's Topkapi Palace.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Gulhane Park was redeveloped by the Turkish authorities into a public park, which was opened to the public in 1912. At the beginning of the 21st century, the park underwent significant reconstruction, which gave the park a natural landscape.
Today, Gulhane Park is accessible to everyone, it is an ennobled territory with a "forest" area with trees dating back to the 1800s, paths and alleys for walking, places for recreation, cafes, park pools with bridges, fountains (including a light fountain), as well as museums, sculptures and historical objects.
In 1926, the world's first monument to Ataturk, the work of the Austrian sculptor Heinrich Krippel, was installed in the park.
Also in the park are: a fountain-book and a monument to the people's poet of the republic period - Chic Veysel (nee Veysel Chatyroglou).
The most famous attraction of Gulhane Park is the Gothic Column (Gotlar Sütunu), which dates back to Roman times (3rd century) and was erected in honor of the victory of the Romans over the Goths.
The column is made of marble, has a height of 18 meters and is the oldest architectural monument in the city that has survived to the present day.
The column is located in the northeastern part of Gulhane Park.
Gulhane Park is surrounded by powerful walls: on the one hand there are walls with gates and buildings of the Topkapi Palace, and on the other - a wall separating the park from urban development.
Walls and gates of the Topkapi Palace
The wall separating the park from the urban development
The southern entrance to the park is one of the largest gates of the palace.
The palace Greeting pavilion (Alay, Alay Köşkü) is built into the southern outer wall of Gulhane Park, which is a historical building of the 16th century, used by the Ottoman sultans as a place of rest and to observe parades and the life of citizens.
Since 2011, the pavilion has been part of the literary museum-library, named after the writer Akhmet Hamdi Tanpynar. The exhibition presents personal belongings of writers and poets of Turkey with busts of some of them. The museum's library includes more than 8,000 book editions. The museum also hosts temporary art exhibitions.
There is a museum town adjacent to Gulkhane Park, where Istanbul Archaeological Museum Complex (Istanbul Arkeoloji Müzesi); and in the west of the park in the former buildings of the Imperial Stables is Museum of the History of Science and Technology in Islam (Istanbul Islam Bilim ve Teknoloji Tarihi Müzesi).
Entrance to these museums is paid and is also included in the Istanbul Museum Card (Museum Pass Istanbul) and the Istanbul E-pass museum and Tourist card. Learn more about museum and tourist maps of Istanbul...
Practical information
Gulhane Park is located on the European side of Istanbul, in the historical center of the city, at Cankurtaran, Kennedy Cd., 34122 Fatih/Istanbul.
Coordinates of Gulhane Park: 41°00'46.0"N 28°58'50.0"E (41.012778, 28.980556).
Entrance to Gulhane Park is free.
You can get to Gulhane Park and Topkapi Palace on foot from the ferry piers near Galata Bridge; from the railway station of the city train "Marmaray Sirkeci Istasyonu"; from the tram stop T1 "Sultanahmet"; from the metro station Vezneciler (green line M2). You can also get there by taxi, rented car, or by taking a tour on the Istanbul Hop-On Hop-Off tour bus (there are tickets for 1, 2 or 3 days).
Tickets for the Istanbul sightseeing bus can be purchased here →
You can also visit Gulhane Park with one of the excursions in Istanbul
All accommodation facilities in Istanbul, including in the historical center, on the European and Asian sides of the city, can be viewed and booked here
